There won’t be many local contested races in Wright County on the ballot for the Nov. 6 election.

 

Incumbent County Auditor/ Treasurer Robert Hiivala is running uncontested. So is current Wright County Attorney Tom Kelly. And none of the county commissioner seats is up for election.

 

The only race with two candidates is for county sheriff, where Sean Deringer and Mike Kaczmarek will face off for the second time.

 

In August at the primaries, there were five different qualified candidates  vying for the position, which is being vacated by current Sheriff Joe Hagerty.

 

Deringer was the top vote-getter with 5,543 votes. Kaczmarek was second with 5,032 votes. The other candidates were Drew Scherber (3,155 votes), Stacy Braun (2,471) and Chad Torkelson (1,184). Now voters will choose between the two finalists.

 

Mike Kaczmarek, a resident of Woodland Twp., has been with the Wright County Sheriff’s Dept. for 25 years.

 

He believes turnover in the department is an issue that affects all county citizens. In the past three years, the department has lost 50 deputies for various reasons.

 

“Each time the Wright County Sheriff’s Office loses a deputy, we lose valuable experience that takes time to replace,” he says. “We cannot afford to continue to simply be a training ground for deputies, only to lose them to other agencies.”

 

Sean Deringer has been with the Wright County Sheriff's Office for 21 years and has held a number of positions, including patrol deputy, patrol captain, patrol sergeant, administrative lieutenant, criminal investigation lieutenant, detective, firearms instructor and narcotics investigator.

 

“I want to ensure that we are all being “Ambassadors” to our Community by being committed to public safety and involved through volunteer opportunities, which will build stronger ties and relationships,” he says.

 

Neither the City of Clearwater nor Clearwater Twp. has a contested race, either.

 

In the city, Mayor Pete Edmonson has decided not to run again. The only candidate who filed for the position is current Clearwater City Council Member Andrea Lawrence Wheeler.

 

That means her council seat is up for election, and so is Councilman Kris Crandall’s seat. Crandall and Wayne Krutchen are running for those two seats.

 

In Clearwater Twp., incumbent Supervisor Scott Miller is running unopposed. So is Township Clear Jean Just.

 

Voting hours are 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. at Clearwater City Hall and Clearwater Twp. Hall.